Flesh and Syth-En
by Karra Greenfield
Summary: TFP AU: With the energon supply low and an Autobot badly injured, Team Prime has no choice but to use the Syth-En. As Ratchet puts it: "It's like a recurring nightmare!"
1. Chapter 1

Before we begin:

I know my TFP fanfiction is currently on hiatus, but I still needed to write something. This will probably remain a stand alone story, more for fun than actually being part of the story line. It will mention parts of what we had planned for our telling of Season 3, but I'll do my best not to ruin any of the surprises.

Also, depending on how well this goes over will pretty much determine if I write anymore chapters for this or not. Alright, no more of my ramblings.

Enjoy!

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><p>The search for the missing Autobots that had been captured by M.E.C.H. was still a rather hot issue despite the ongoing fight with the Decepticons. Unfortunately due to the nature of the enemy the U.S. human military authority had demanded a heavy hand in the operation, meaning that the Autobots could not knowingly engage discovered M.E.C.H. locations without a human team with them. Naturally this irritated more than a handful of Autobots, but with a reluctance to willingly endanger any humans Optimus Prime agreed to the terms.<p>

Elita-One stood in as the liaison for the Autobots, helping prepare the team of humans that were selected to work directly with the Autobots for such missions. It was not uncommon for visits from Prime's growing team to lend a hand in the training, allowing both sides to become more comfortable working with each other. Despite the good that had come from a handful of successful team ups, there were some hold outs on both sides that seemed to blend like oil and water.

* * *

><p>Elita, in her whole form, crouched down beside the group of soldiers as they surrounded the compound. It had taken them nearly an hour to get into position, the strike planned for the middle of the night to help hide the impending retrieval. They were waiting for back up from Optimus, Elita having requested a medic as a precaution, before they moved in. As soon as she received word that Tracks and the other Autobot back-up arrived they would strike.<p>

Across the way, Jazz and Ratchet slowly crept their way through the thick forest that surrounded the compound, hiding it away from curious eyes. The small army of humans aiding them was spread out around the fenced buildings, making it easier for the pair to not accidently step on one. When one of their allies spotted them he tapped twice on the device over his right ear. The Autobots heard a two light buzzes over their receivers from the action followed by three quick buzzes in reply before the humans began to advance. The infiltration had begun.

The double fence quickly came down thanks to the Autobots cutting their own entrances, their human allies focusing on the M.E.C.H. agents during the process before they swarmed in around the three behemoths. They let the humans do what they were trained for as they tracked the quickly weakening energon signal. The opposing force was quickly subdued and gathered at an empty area in the parking garage as the Autobots busted into the main building.

Elita frowned a bit as she caught sight of Ratchet, but otherwise ignored the medic as they both rushed into the massive hanger bay. Not only were they following their scanners, but the splattered glowing blue on the back wall told them where their missing comrade was. Elita was the first past the half wall that divided the area, taking in the damage quickly before she moved out of the way for Ratchet to have access to the parts that were strewn around. Whomever it was M.E.C.H. had completely dissected the Cybertronian, leaving parts in bins and puddles of energon on the floor.

"Savages," Ratchet grumbled, kneeling down to take a closer look to see who it might have been.

"Agreed," Elita said quietly as she looked around, listening to the fire fight outside slowly die down.

He glanced up at her as she turned her back to him and signed softly at her cold decorum. Things between them had not been the same since the fight and since she had moved to the military base he had not really had a chance to speak with her one on one. Every time he visited her base she was kept busy with not only with the care of her troops but planning missions not only for the humans but Autobots as well.

The way her fingers twitched on her hips told him that something wasn't settling with her. "What's wrong?"

"There's something wrong with this energon," she mumbled. "It's refined, but there's nothing telling me whom it was from." Turning back to the medic, who was giving her a questioning look, Elita looked down at the bin of parts he had been scanning. "When someone's bled out I could tell who it came from. This energon didn't come from a Cybertronian."

Ratchet shook his head and focused on the parts himself. "I don't think this was one of ours. All of the alloys are Earth based."

"A berserker?"

"Could be. I don't expect a human's synthetic structure to function as flawlessly as our own form." He ignored her clearing her throat, but did notice that she quickly turned her back to him. Ratchet would not let her mood determine how he felt about the subject; his opinion was it wasn't only in their technology that humans were found lacking. As he had pointed out to Optimus when the kids first joined them they have no protective shell, and that was the most positive point he felt like making at the time. He was glad he didn't have to scrape any of them off the bottom of his foot.

But it was honestly an unintentional stab at her very core and that made him feel guilty. Without that jumbled mess of parts that Bulkhead and Miko dragged into the base Optimus, and possibly so many others, would have died. Still, Vector Sigma had improved her form to suit its purposes.

Looking back up at her, Ratchet immediately became alarmed when several red dots appeared on her form, most of them focused on her upper back and head. Surging to his feet as he heard several mechanical whirling sounds from the upper balcony area, the medic shouted out for her, making Elita turn around. Massive amounts of explosions happened behind him, but time seemed to slow down as he saw several strike Elita in the torso before he wrapped himself around her. The shout of pain she gave echoed in his audio receptors as they fell to the floor, but the pain eradiating out of his back made his systems overload.

Elita heard the firefight as she struggled against the deadweight Ratchet had become on top of her, catching glimpses of both humans and an Autobot as they subdued the M.E.C.H. agents that had ambushed them. Reaching up, she activated Ratchet's communicator since she couldn't reach her own.

"Elita-One to Autobot base," she groaned. "We need a medic, now!"

The ground bridge that opened up casted the darkened room in an eerie glow, several heavy metallic footsteps promptly filled the area. The groan Ratchet made as he was moved made Elita's heart nearly stop, Optimus gingerly moving the medic into his hold so she could get up. His back was still a smoking mass, as if he had several of Wheeljack's explosives detonate at once, and just the amount of energon that was pouring from his wounds made what they had found splattered around the room look like a drop of water. Tracks was at Prime's side digging his hands into Ratchet's back to attempt to stop the bleeding.

Elita was breathing hard, her eyes wide as she just stood there watching. The urge to rush over and attempt to help was strong, but she knew that she would only hinder the process so she turned to the human aspect of the mission. The unit commander was shouting out orders, having successfully subdued the ambushing force. Moving over to the gathering of prisoners, she listened to the updated report and issued her orders for the M.E.C.H. agents to be detained and moved to the base for questioning. She only glanced back long enough to watch as Optimus and Tracks rushed back through the Ground Bridge portal, leaving a trail of energon that suddenly ended where the glow winked shut.

Jazz stepped up to her, drawing her out of her thoughts. "You look like you need to see the 'Con Doc, too."

"I'm fine," she mumbled, but still looked down at herself. She was covered in the energon that came from her defender with a few running streaks of her own that slowly poured out of the handful of bullet holes in her torso. Giving a deep breath that came out almost like a growl, she walked towards the exit to follow the humans. "We've got a mission to finish."

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><p>Agent Fowler arrived on the scene via helicopter as they were loading their prisoners onto trucks and promptly sent the two Autobots back to the new base of command. Unable to drive back to the base covered in the glowing blue and in need of repairs, Elita and Jazz stepped through the glowing portal and walked onto the Logikrator.<p>

The pair promptly made their way to the medical bay on the ship, where Tracks furiously worked on their comrade. Arcee and Prime stood by, passing the tools that the former Decepticon requested as Bumblebee and Bulkhead brought in armloads of prepared energon. Elita didn't bother wasting time washing the energon off, but rushed over to see if she could help.

"This is the last of the prepared energon," Bulkhead announced solemnly.

Tracks quickly looked up to see how much they had brought, but promptly shook his head with a disgruntled sigh. Energon was never in short supply when he had been on other side of the war, his finish back then attested to that, but it made him wonder exactly how the Autobots had managed to survive for so long with the limited supplies. "It's not going to be enough."

"We'd have more if you and your buddies didn't steal it all," Arcee snapped.

"That is enough," Prime calmly broke through, halting the argument before it pulled more focus away from Ratchet's care. "There is no way to change the past, Arcee."

Watching as Bumblebee switched out the containers of energon, Elita realized Tracks was right. There wasn't enough energon stored for him to be able to finish. With a rush she spoke before she thought. "Grab the Synth-En. I have an idea."

Most of the others shot her a look as her hands began to glow, but it was Optimus that spoke, recalling what it has cost her when she had repaired and upgraded him. "It's not safe, Elita."

She only looked up at her commander, energon welling up in her optics, "We don't have a choice."

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><p>His mind was plagued with nightmares over the events that had happened, the pain overwhelming him before it shocked him offline. But it didn't matter what happened to him, he just needed to protect Elita. He refused to lose another friend. Slowly he became aware of things outside his mind, the smell of fast food and coffee, the oddly soft surface he rested on, but it was the sound of voices that brought him slowly out of his rest.<p>

"This … this is unbelievable."

Jack's voice was soft, awestruck. It was how he spoke when he learned something else that he found important and in need of his gentle focus. It reminded Ratchet of young Orion Pax, knowing that when he heard that tone it was a subject that Ratchet needed to focus more on when teaching the young bot.

"It's freaky."

"Miko, please not so loud. He's still resting."

This time June's voice broke through the fog, sounding a lot closer than he was use to it being. She had spoken quietly, especially compared to Miko's loud outburst, but it was extremely close to his audio receptor.

The feeling of someone lifting his arm up and grabbing his wrist gently was a rather odd sensation, but soon it was resting back on the soft surface again. The soft shuffle of shoed feet moved around him, over to where he had heard two of the voices resided to his left.

"When do you think he's going to wake up?"

Three voices from his left, this time it was Rafael's voice that had a deep edge of concern. All four of their human allies were at his side and concerned over his well being. Hearing it made the pulsing in his torso quicken a bit, the warmth that spread through him over their concern helping him recall that humans had some wonderful qualities, too.

"I'm not sure," June replied quietly.

Why would they be asking June about his condition? Tracks or Elita would have treated him; they would have fixed his chassis.

Heavy, metallic footsteps drew him away from that line of thought as he heard Optimus speaking to someone as he walked into the room. "It was a grave risk you took, Elita. You cannot continue to disregard your safety."

"He risked himself to save my life, Optimus. I owed him."

Relief flooded through his form at hearing her voice, soft with concern. She was alive, that's all that mattered to him. It was such a powerful sensation that it helped him wake-up completely.

With a deep groan, that felt extremely odd through his body, Ratchet forced his optics open, wincing at the bright light that assaulted them. It took a little while, but when he managed to adapt to the bright he was confused by what he saw.

Jack, June, Miko and Rafael not only surrounded him, but they were way closer than they should have been. Optimus was at the center of his view, looking so much larger than the medic ever recalled, even with the repairs Elita had done to his form. The Autobot commander was setting Elita's human body down so that she could step up beside Ratchet's side, putting an arm around Rafael's shoulders to hug the young man close to her side.

"How do you feel?" she asked carefully.

Something wasn't right. The view was not right. Alarmed, Ratchet sat up quickly, throwing the blanket down to his lap. His glowing green eyes wide as he looked down at his hands, his flesh covered hands. Staring up at her, it was hard to hide the horror he felt.

"What did you do to me?"

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><p><strong>Author's Note: I don't own the show. Thank you for reading.<strong>

Ah, yes! Thank you Cobra Commander for giving thousands of Transformers fan-fiction writers one of the most over used, under explained, and the slippery slope to many *ahem* storylines. Confused? Check out the G1 Season 3 episode "Only Human".


	2. Chapter 2

June quickly covered Miko's eyes, Jack and Rafael quickly looked away themselves, when Ratchet swiftly got out of the bed, throwing the covers to the side despite the outcry that came from the women, and marched over to one of the reflective walls in the room. He had to see exactly the damage Elita had done to his form, but the more he saw the angrier he became at her.

His completion almost matched hers, save he had less of a metallic sheen to his skin. His hair was a silvery white with streaks of red in the pattern that matched his Cybertronian helm, but he was puzzled over the swath of red that covered only his chin, lightly brushing his fingers over the patch of hair as he frowned. His eyes surprised him the most. Instead of finding the glowing Autobot blue that Elita had kept in her human form, he saw the bright green that indicated she had used the Synth-En on him.

Clenching his hands into tight fists, he turned that angry look at her. "How could you do this to me?"

Elita knew that he wouldn't be thrilled with the outcome of what she had to do, but she did her best not to return the temper. She snatched the top cover off of the bed, marched over, and focused on wrapping it around his hipline. "Gotta keep yourself covered now."

"It wouldn't have become an issue if you had just left well enough alone and let Tracks repair me."

"You were dying Ratchet. I couldn't stand by and do nothing."

"Yes, you could have and you should have. This is unnatural!"

He saw it as she looked back up at him, standing just a little under his own height now, the firm set to her jaw line and the flush of pink to her cheeks that told him that she was doing her best to keep her own temper in check. When she suddenly yanked the ends of the thin blanket to securely tie them, he grunted at the sudden tightness. Instead of react any further she twisted on the heels of her black combat boots and marched out of the room, her braided hair swaying behind her all the way.

When Elita had first covered the new Trans-human, June had moved her hands away from Miko's eyes, but the young lady was still blushing as she stood quietly by. She had watched Elita walk out of the room, waiting until she was sure she had left before the teen girl let her frustration loose. "That was cold, Ratch, even for you. She saved your life and all your doing is complaining about how she went about it. Not cool."

Ratchet marched over to her, trying to be intimidating, but as always the little lady stood firm and looked him right in the eyes. "I would have rather died how I was than to live like this."

"It isn't always about you, ya know?" Miko snapped before she too left the room.

Rafael sheepishly stood beside Jack now, not knowing what he could say that would help the situation. He knew that he probably wouldn't exactly feel comfortable if something similar happened to him, but he would hope that he would have been thankful to still be alive.

When June looked over at her son, Jack recognized the frown on her face. She was about to go into lecture mode and was kind enough to warn him about it. Looking down at Ralf, the young man tried to smile. "Let's go check on E, 'kay?"

"Y-yeah, sounds good." Looking back at Ratchet, who was now looking back at himself in the mirror like surface, he tried to sound happier. "We're glad we still have you Ratchet."

"Yeah, the place wouldn't have been the same without you," Jack added before they left the room.

Optimus watched as June moved the bed out of the way, allowing him to kneel down to be closer to eye level with them. They all expected close to this reaction out of Ratchet, knowing the medic always spoke his mind whether it was pleasant or not.

"I, too, agree with the children," the Autobot commander said evenly.

"About which part?" June asked, her tone flat and unhappy, "The one where we're glad he's alive or that he's being bitter about it?"

"Both." Optimus looked back at Ratchet as he twisted around quickly and walked over to his commanding officer. "You know our energon supply has become strained with the addition of all the new troops that have joined our cause, even with the knowledge they had brought with them about Decepticon stock piles. We did not have enough energon that would have allowed you to survive your repairs."

"Is that what Tracks told you?" Ratchet snapped, feeling as if the Decepticon turned Autobot was trying to get him out of the picture. Ever since the group of Decepticons, lead by Knockout who turned into Tracks, deflected and joined the Autobots they had been slowly trying to take over. Tracks had also been trying to steal Elita away from him, evident by how she seemed to prefer to call him in when she had a mission she needed a medic for.

"We all knew that we did not have enough energon to ensure your survival," Optimus replied calmly.

"So you let her hack the Syth-En like she hacked the Forge?" Ratchet scoffed.

"She made the choice to save your life," June snapped.

Ratchet felt some of his anger ebb away, recalling the last time she had performed a similar miracle. After she had used the Forge of Solus Prime to repair and upgrade Optimus Prime, it had left her weak, drained of her naturally produced energon, and her paint faded from the vibrant reds and grays to dark pinks and off white, as if she had been bleached by the sunlight. Her human body lost some of its shine, her hair fading at the roots from the vibrant red to become a mix between copper and gold. What did this cost her?

Optimus caught him as Ratchet felt the world fall out from under him, the feel of hard metal on his body making him look up at his commander as Optimus stood back up. June was lifted up next, just to save her from having to rush to keep up as he walked out of the room. They had found the small group of humans back in the medical bay, the kids sitting up on a shelf as they watched Tracks and Elita discussing the two Cybertronian bodies that rested on the medical berths. Optimus gently set the humans he carried on the shelf the kids were on before he focused on the larger medic.

Tracks gave a slightly frustrated sigh, "We have the time for the repairs now, just not all of the parts. He really messed himself up."

Elita, still in her human form, was standing on the berth Ratchet's body rested on face down, her arms crossed as she frowned in thought. Moving her left arm up, she thumbed at her larger form that rested behind her. "Used the parts you need from that."

"That would kill you," Ratchet almost yelled, rushing close to the edge of the shelf.

Tracks smirked slightly at when Elita rolled her eyes, not quite acknowledging the other medic as she clinched the fingers of her left hand into a tight fist as her face flushed again. "It's not like I can use it anymore anyways."

Ratchet closed his mouth slowly, not knowing what to say on the matter. As Optimus moved to stand between the two groups, he looked at both repair berths with a frown. "It is a grave sacrifice, Elita. Are you sure you wish to do this?"

"You need all the help that you can get with the increase of your troops, and we all know that Ratchet is the best field medic out there."

"What do we do about him in the mean time?" Tracks asked, glancing up at Prime. "I have a hard enough time working with him when he's fully active, I really don't want to be scraping him off the bottom of my foot because he decided to try to help."

"It will be safer for Ratchet to stay with the humans," Optimus stated calmly with a soft nod.

"Our new place doesn't have much room to it as is, and Jack is already staying on the couch," June spoke up, making Jack sheepishly scratch the back of his head.

"It would be too crowded at my place for him," Rafael said meekly, "Plus Momma wouldn't be happy about having someone else to pick up after in the house."

"He ain't stayin' with me," Miko quickly added as she crossed her arms. "Aside from his bad mood always bringin' rain to my parade my host parents wouldn't be so thrilled that I'm brining what they'd think is a sugar daddy home to stay."

"I am right here, you know," Ratchet snapped, finding it quite annoying that they were talking about him like this.

Elita sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose with her right hand. "We have room at the base for him."

"Then it appears that issue is settled." Optimus calmly as he looked over at his old friend, "It will also give you an opportunity to help our human allies with their training as well as an opportunity for you to learn from them."

The kids found it quite amusing as both Ratchet and Elita gave the same, tired sigh over the very thought. Miko had even hidden her laughter behind her hand to keep it as quiet as possible.

Elita hopped off the table and began to walk out of the room, "We need to get back anyways. I need an updated report on the mission."

As the kids moved to the small lift that Wheeljack had installed beside the shelves in the room for their use, June motioned for Ratchet to follow. "I'm sure they'll have some clothing you can change into when we get there. If not, I'm sure Agent Fowler would be kind enough to let you borrow some of his clothes."

The newly turned Autobot-Human hybrid frowned at the very thought of wearing Agent Fowler's clothing. Aside from the unappealing thoughts that came to mind, he wasn't sure how he would look in clothing in general. Apparently humans had a strange need to change their coverings daily that he was now being forced to subject to. That was one thing he never had to worry about in his Cybertronian form. Before he walked out of the room, he heard Optimus say his name. Turning around, he faced the Autobot leader with a grave, yet tired look.

"I will be by tomorrow to check on you and to give you an update," Prime told him. "Do be patient with them, for they will have to be patient for your sake as well."

"Yes, sir," Ratchet replied before he turned to follow the others to the ground bridge controls.

One of the former Decepticons was manning the controls, one of the Vehicons that apparently was enjoying the new identity he had obtained, and opened the portal for the humans. Ratchet expected the journey to be like all of the others he had taken through the device, but the energy of the portal seemed to go through his body making everything tingle and ache slightly to the very center of his new form. His bones and joints took time to stop aching after he stepped through, but it was the burning ache in the core of his torso that had him doubling over, putting his hands on his knees to give him a bit of extra support. He had no idea what was wrong, but this couldn't be good.

"Take deep, slow breaths and your stomach will calm down," he heard a voice tell him.

Glancing up over his right shoulder, Ratchet slowly pulled himself upright as he focused on the human man behind him as the ground bridge closed. Looking over the patches the man had on his camouflage uniform, the Autobot medic could quickly figure out the man's purpose for being so near the opening of the ground bridge. This was the main human medic for Elita's team that usually went by the nickname Slash, though honestly Ratchet could never figure out why the humans saw it necessary to mark their medical personnel with images of poisonous reptiles coiling themselves around various things. Also, he always wondered over the complete lack of hair on the man's head. The Autobot medic had interacted with this man before, all be it begrudgingly, so he never really cared to get to know the man since they obviously had nothing in common.

June and the children had already headed further into the building, leaving him practically surrounded by strangers. Ratchet began to look for Elita, finding her surrounded by a small group of men, all wearing the same patch on their uniform that identified them as being a part of her group, the drab green Autobot symbol on a dark grey patch. Where they were all dressed in the same camouflage uniforms Elita was missing the jacket to her own outfit, leaving her wearing the tan undershirt that was part of the outfit. She was taking care of business, reading over reports as she was being updated. He felt a pang of jealousy surge through him at the way she smiled as one of them handed her a large cup with a lid, which he presumed was coffee from the smell.

"Guys, you're going to have to slow down a bit. I lost half of my processing ability so bear with me." She had spoken to them in a firm manor, but she also had a bit of humor to her voice that belied how she regarded these men. They openly accepted her as their authoritive figure and she showered them with a deep sense of respect, just like Optimus always had done with his team.

With a practiced manor she filed through everyone's concerns, issued out orders, and had things back in running condition with every soldier focusing on his task. As she was left speaking with only three men from the original crowd the human medic led Ratchet over to the smaller group. One of the men was the human commander of the unit, a man that stood a head taller than Elita-One with hazel eyes and dark brown hair that was beginning to grey at the roots.

Elita actually looked at her Autobot friend as he came closer, but focused on the human medic beside him. "Thanks for making sure he didn't throw up on touchdown, John."

"No problem," the medic said with a laugh as he brushed a hand over his bald head. "I know sometimes it feels as bad a getting racked, so I have some sympathy over the ones not use to it."

"I'll have you know that I designed the ground bridge system and had used its pathways thousands of times," Ratchet snapped.

That had raised more than one eyebrow from the group, but only gained a tired sigh from the femme. "This is Ratchet from Prime's team. The injuries he sustained were life threatening so I had to make a temporary body for him."

Ratchet's jaw dropped at how calmly she shared the information, as if it was almost an everyday issue. Surely these men couldn't comprehend the ability she had. Agent Fowler was always in a state of shock about everything the Autobots could accomplish.

"I thought I recognized the color pattern," the commander nodded, looking from one Autobot to the other. "I saw the damage he sustained. Tracks going to be able to fix it?"

"He should now that he's got the time and the spare parts," Elita replied.

"Your other body alright? You took some hits, too."

"It's scrapped now, but that's fine." Turning to face the other two in the group she started to give orders. "You two get him settled in, will ya please? He's new to the body so he'll have questions, just try to keep it PG. I've got to go check in with Fowler. "

"Yes, ma'am," they said with a salute, which she returned before she walked off.

Ratchet's jaw dropped as she walked away. Why was she just handing him off to these men instead of telling her the information herself? Surely she could answer any questions he had about his new body. After all, she made it. When the younger men in the group started to laugh quietly to themselves he shot them a non-too happy look. Their disrespect was becoming annoying.

"Man, you must have done something really bad to have pissed E off this much," the young man on the left, a blond with the same crew cut hair style as all the others, finally said after he cleared his throat.

"I'm sure as you three settle him in, you'll understand why," the unit commander said with a chuckle.

"Three?" The human medic glanced at his commander, "You're including me on this?"

"You heard the lady, Slash. Ratchet here is new to the body. I'm sure you'd do a better job following her orders about keeping the answers at her requested rating."

As the unit commander walked off, the bald medic gave a deep sigh as he rubbed his head again as the two younger men began to chuckle. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up you two. Alright, Sunny," he pointed to the blond, "get his bunk set up. Sides," he then pointed to the auburn haired man, "get him a uniform, non-ranked, group patch; meet us in the bay."

When the twins nodded and walked off, the human medic turned back to Ratchet and motioned for him to follow. "Let's get your physical taken care of. It'd probably be best to take care of your questions there as well, away from the twins."

With a sigh to match his human counterpart, Ratchet followed the medic, idly rubbing his stomach as it growled. "She normally this busy?"

"Normally? Normal is usually worse. Poor woman practically lives off of coffee." They walked into the medical bay and Slash pulled the dividing curtain around one of the beds in the room. "I think the only way she pulled most of it off was being able to utilize two forms. I just hope that she realizes that she can't push herself that hard anymore."

"She always seems to pour herself too thin," Ratchet agreed, "but Primes rarely take breaks, even when they're beyond functioning properly."

"Good leaders do do that, don't they?" Slash asked as he completely closed the curtain around them. "Now, let's see what she's done this time with that odd ability of hers. Then we can get you some food."

* * *

><p>So far, being human was a relative breeze. Agent Fowler had even checked on him after his meeting with Elita. Clothing took some getting use to, the newest Autobot-human hybrid finding the uniform a bit stiff at first until it broke in and the boots snug on his feet, but he eventually was able to block it out. It was the eating, drinking, and removal of the byproduct of such actions that were the most daunting task of the day, but despite having to be taught how to care for such things Ratchet felt comfortable enough that he could handle the nightmare for the possibly few days that it would take for Tracks to repair his real body. Once he was back in his proper form Ratchet would find a way to return Elita to her own.<p>

He had watched how busy she kept herself, rushing around to talk to the different groups of men under her command as they worked on their different projects. Try as he might to speak with her, she had always managed to evade him. The snickering he kept hearing from the men of the unit became irritating, almost as if they found his predicament amusing for some reason. Honestly, these humans have absolutely no respect for the more advanced being in their presence.

By the time bedtime rolled around, Ratchet had found himself annoyed, ignored, and utterly exhausted. He found himself sharing a bunking room with some of the guys he had seen around, the twins who he had spent most of the day with had managed to tuck him into a corner by the doorway in a single twin sized bed with a footlocker at the foot of his bed that held his belongings during this time, which as of this moment consisted of three complete changes of clothing.

Pulling off his boots, Ratchet gave a deep sigh of relief as they pulled away, but wrinkled his nose at the odor that came from them, even as he put the boot up to his face to see if the smell was indeed coming from it. His head jerked back as his eyes watered. It was horrible! The boots and socks were quickly set on top of the footlocker, just to get the smell away from himself. As he pressed his feet to the concrete floor, he had to smile a bit. It felt good on his sore feet, as if the cool was pulling the aches out of his form. He rather preferred to go without the boots, understanding why he would catch Elita running around without shoes so often in their former base, back when they were on better terms.

"Lights out!" someone called right before it all went dark.

"But I'm not ready. A little more warning would be appreciated." Ratchet grumbled, as he managed to find and undo the buttons in the dark, and tossing the majority of his uniform over his boots. He saw the others in their under shirts and underwear, a rather confusing name for the snug shorts he was given, so he left those articles on.

Fumbling around with the blanket and sheet on the bed in the dark was not pleasant, but once he got that sorted out and stretched out in the bed he gave a frustrated sigh. Closing his eyes, Ratchet let his body relax into its recharge mode. One day down. He could do this and prove to Elita that Cybertronians were the superior beings.

Elita quietly stepped into the barrack that Ratchet was assigned to, watching him sleep for a little while. She didn't wish this for him and she knew he blamed her for everything that caused it. Him suddenly waking up human was no less shocking than her waking up Cybertronian, or at least in the twisted copy of one until Vector Sigma corrected that. Couldn't he understand that she would always be human? Vector Sigma understood that; its why it gave her both forms when it remade her for it's purposes.

Asking Ratchet to accept all of her, even her flawed human form, was asking too much from the old Cybertronian medic, so she would not do so. She had more pressing matters on her mind than the feelings of one being, even if they were her own. Focusing down at the palm of her hand, Elita knew that she was running out of time. The Syth-En was not going to last forever and she still had to be able to return Ratchet to his body when Tracks was done. Then she was off to Cybertron.

Bending over, Elita pressed a kiss to Ratchet's forehead before quietly exiting the barrack.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I don't own the show. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

The rude awakening that greeted Ratchet the next morning was as startling as a surprise attack on the Autobot base. His heart was pounding in his chest as he rushed to redress in the uniform he had pulled off in the dark while trying to wipe the sleep out of his eyes. The handful that he bunked with were already up and dressed, in the process of putting on their boots. Seeing that they were leaving their jackets behind he followed their example, grunting as he pulled on his boots. Why were they even getting up so early?

Following the group out, he lined up with them as they joined up with the larger mass of the unit. Their commanding officer called them into attention before he began issuing orders. Despite how he felt about the issue Ratchet went along with it, determined to work past the embarrassment his current predicament was causing him and prove his point.

As a group they went through varying exercises, all of which Ratchet had observe Elita doing every morning when they shared a base. He thought it was rather silly of her to go through such activities when her enhanced form made her more physically capable for anything she might encounter. Soon the Autobot medic found his muscular structure burning with pain. What was it with humans torturing themselves with such frivolous activities? At least their commander was right there with them, doing the same tortuous exercises as his men.

The sun was just beginning to light the sky when they all began their morning run. The Autobot was already sore, tired, and now his clothing was soaked and sticking to his body. Honestly, clothing was a huge pain. As the sun illuminated the area around them, Ratchet let himself fall behind the group, doing his best to ignore the sharp pain building up in his side while it only added to his long list of short comings about human bodies.

It took him a little while to realize that someone was running right beside him, keeping perfect pace with him. Glancing over he was a bit surprised to see Elita running beside him, her skin covered in a soft blue. She gently reached out, pulling on his arm to get him to stop so he could catch his breath.

"You're pushing yourself too hard," she told him, offering him a canteen, "Take it slowly right now. No one is expecting perfection out of you."

Ratchet slowly took the canteen from her hand, hearing the gentle tone in her voice as she repeated the very same words he had told her when she first gained her true Cybertronian form. Quickly he gulped down some of the water, exhaling a pleased sigh at how good it felt on his sore throat as he passed it back to her. Once he felt he was ready they began their run once again.

* * *

><p>Optimus was waiting for the group when they had returned from their run. At first he was concerned about the two missing Autobots until the unit commander had informed him that Elita had stayed behind to aid Ratchet in the morning run, her usual action for every new member of their team. When the pair finally made it through, Prime became very concerned over the condition his medic was in.<p>

Ratchet was breathing heavily, leaning forward as he braced himself with his hands on his knees again. "Its like this … every morning?" he gasped out.

"Pretty much," Elita smirked as she offered the canteen again. "Since the others ran a head I took us through a short cut that cut off a few miles. Hopefully you'll be back to your fully metallic self before you get use to this."

He looked up at her as if she had two heads, trying to figure out if she was joking with him or not. He missed her humor, even if at the moment he was the butt of her jokes. "Right … "

She took the now empty canteen back from him, now that he was upright and not nearly as red in the face since he had a chance to catch his breath. "Come on. Optimus is here and you'll miss out on breakfast if we don't hurry."

Ratchet's head shot up, his eyes full of hope that his dear friend was there to tell him that Tracks had completed the repairs and he could get his body back. As they walked over to where the Autobot leader knelt down for them Ratchet became rather embarrassed that he had to do the meeting now. His clothing was soaked with sweat, making it stick and rub against is skin in the most uncomfortable ways. Plus it smelt terrible. The sooner things got back to normal the better.

Optimus was concerned at how red faced and wet his medic looked, Ratchet appearing as if he was angry and had been out in the rain. The Autobot leader knew that the humans ran through physical training every morning, but he had never seen any of them look this bad.

"Please tell me that Tracks has finished fixing my body," Ratchet pleaded.

"I am afraid not, Ratchet." As he watched his medic's shoulders drop in defeat Optimus gave a slight frown. "How are you doing, old friend?"

"I'll be polite in not vocalizing the obvious flaws to the human form," the medic made a large motion with his arms about his current condition, but then turned a somewhat annoyed look to Elita. "I wish you would fix the issue with my fluid waste disposal hose."

The concern for her friend showed openly on her face as she focused on Ratchet. "What's wrong?"

"It keeps randomly seizing up. It's painful and extremely annoying."

Optimus, too was concerned, but when he looked back at Elita he noticed that she was holding her hand over her face, which was turning a very dark red behind her hand. "Is this an issue you are able to assist him with?"

"I am so not touching this …" she mumbled behind her hand. Taking a deep breath, she finally lowered her hand, but her blush remained. "Nothing's wrong Ratchet. You are apparently in ideal health for … that sort of thing."

"What thing?" the medic demanded.

"Something that I'm hoping you'll be back in your original body long before it becomes a serious topic again." She cleared her throat rather harshly, trying to cool her blush as she avoided looking either one of them in the eye. "Why don't you go get washed up and get some breakfast. It'll help you feel better."

Ratchet walked off, mumbling about the lack of answers and responsibility she was taking in regards to the current predicament of his body she had placed him in. Honestly, it was her fault that it was acting like it was.

With another deep breath, she was able to push the more embarrassing subject out of mind before she looked back up at Optimus. "How are the repairs going, by the way?"

"Tracks feels as if he would be able to utilize most of the parts from your larger structure, but he is trying to see what parts of Ratchet's own form he can salvage in hopes of allowing both of you to be fully repaired."

"Tell him not to worry about my form. I probably wouldn't be able to use it anymore anyways. If it doesn't have the parts he needs I can make them with what little bit I've got left in me."

Optimus frowned at her words. "You are an Autobot, Elita-One, despite your birth origins."

"But its my birth origins that make me what I truly am. Despite what happened, I'll forever be human in mind and soul."

"No one is forcing you to choose between the two."

She sighed softly, "It's not often you're wrong, Optimus, but I won't hold it against you." After a long moment of quiet she smiled up at the larger Autobot. "Hopefully Ratchet's nightmare will end soon, for his sake of course."

Optimus shared the small smile, "Of course."

"At least he's settling in well." No sooner had she spoken then a scream was heard throughout the building.

"Primus, my optics! It's burning my optics!"

"He'll do better as soon as he learns not to get soap in his eyes," Elita said after giving a tired sigh.

* * *

><p>After swearing he would never be able to see, and not finding it as humorous of a situation as the twins apparently had as they helped him clear the soap out of his eyes, Ratchet managed to grab some semblance of food before the cooks had cleared everything away. None of it smelt as good as what he recalled coming out of the kitchen back at the old base when Elita would cook. As he pushed the lumpy mass one of the cooks called 'scrambled eggs' around his plate with the fork, Ratchet wondered if she still cooked. If the food she made smelt better than this, it must taste better. He recalled that she enjoyed the act, or at least found it relaxing enough to have that soft smile of hers he had come to love; a smile that he dearly missed since that argument.<p>

It was the sound of someone else in the mess hall that drew his attention away from the orange-yellow glob on his plate, making him look up and around. Elita had come in with an armload, consisting of file folders, a box of some sort, and a laptop, and had set the mass on a table that was far from the door and seated in a corner. He watched as she unrolled a cable, attaching one end to the wall and the other to the back of the computer itself before she walked into the kitchen.

Ratchet was on his feet and making his way over to the door he had seen her walk through, plate in hand, before he even realized it. Stopping at the door he just stood there watching like he had several times before. At least this was more comfortable than crouching down and looking in sideways to see her.

Elita was humming to herself as she dug around in the refrigeration units, loading several items into her arms before she tapped the door to close with her hip. Setting her bounty on the counter she began to dig through the mass and separated them as she wished. The group of plants, mostly made up of green things of various shapes, were washed in the large sink before she began to slice them up with a sizeable knife and depositing them all in a large metal bowl. Next she began to gently break open the white ovals, one in each hand, letting their contents drop into another bowl before she tossed the shells into yet another bowl that she had put the parts of the plants in that she didn't wish to utilize. Once she had completed that task she grabbed a large multi wired, bulbous shaped contraption by the handle and began to quickly stir the contents from the ovals around quickly, adding the contents from the plant bowl into it. After another stirring she poured everything from that final bowl into a large pan she had heating up on the stove, the sudden sizzling filling the room.

The smell made his mouth water as she took the stirring tool to the contents in the pan for a quick couple shakes of her wrists before she moved all but the scrap bowl to the sink, letting the water fill them for a little bit before she turned her attention back to the stove. Ratchet was still amazed as he watched her do whatever it was that she did at the stove that made the wonderful smells. Looking at her face he saw her smile and was glad that she still did so.

With the spoon that she had taken over stirring the food with she began to scoop the contents onto two plates before she moved the large pan over to the sink. It was only then, as she was carrying the two plates over to the door that she even acknowledged him, passing him one of the plates full of better looking, all be it strange as well, scrambled eggs. Once he had the plate in hand she took his old plate and set it down on one of the counters before she grabbed a couple of forks and motioned for him to lead the way out of the room. With the food back on the table she went back into the kitchen only to return shortly with a couple gallon jugs in one hand, one of them white while the other was orange, and a stack of glasses in the other. Setting them all down she separated the glasses before she poured contents from both jugs before she set two of each in front of him.

Only after she had settled in did he sit down in the chair in front of where she had set up her little work area. Ratchet watched as Elita took a bite, but was soon starting to dig around in the stack of folders as she ate in silence. She opened the box, digging out a red writing pen and a few colored paperclips before she began to mark on the papers in the folder she was looking through. Taking her queue, he began to eat as well. Oh how he loved being right! Not only did her cooking smell better, but it tasted wonderful.

Elita only glanced up as Ratchet began to eat as if he had been starving, but managed to keep her smile to herself as she went back to her paperwork. It was something she always wanted to do for him, but up until yesterday it was not possible. With a sigh she went back to reading reports and interviews from the men they had captured at the base. She had to get all this done before the small group of Autobots stopped by before lunch for a few practice rounds with the men of her unit.

* * *

><p>Ratchet stood back with his human counterpart as they watched the training. He had to admit that the humans were pretty good at what they did. They worked well with the Autobots that they trained with and, as much as he hated to admit it, they followed orders very well. Both Elita and the unit commander were sharp and clear with their orders, but their team respected the pair.<p>

"She's distracted," Slash mumbled quietly, drawing Ratchet out of his thoughts.

Finding her again with his optics … eyes he had to remind himself … he focused on her. Elita had her arms crossed as she watched the different groups of humans as they practiced. The few times that Ratchet had stopped by during these training sessions she was usually hands on with both forms, teaching both human and Autobot how to interact without damaging one another.

"Perhaps she merely does not wish to openly participate today. She is wounded, after all," Ratchet reminded the man beside him of the sacrifice Elita-One had made. After all, she had to be having a harder time adapting to this than he was.

"She might be a bit slower, but she doesn't act like she's hurt." John continued as he ignored the disgruntled look Ratchet glanced at him with, "No, she's studying the men. Something was fishy with the last mission and she knows it."

"Aside from both of us getting shot?" the Autobot snorted, "I could have told you that. The energon …"

John motioned with his pointer finger over his closed lips for Ratchet to keep quiet. At first he felt the rush of anger, his face growing warm with it, but then he caught a couple of the nearby soldiers trying to discreetly listen to the two medics. He also saw Elita eyeing the pair herself. The cogs were whirling in his mind now as Ratchet slowly began to piece some things together. The last mission ended in an ambush aimed for any Autobots that had showed up. No, that wasn't right. All the little red dots had aimed for Elita. M.E.C.H. still saw her as a target and were trying to take her out, and that would only happen over his dead body.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I don't own the show. Thanks for reading.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you sure about this?" Agent Fowler asked, his hands holding him up as he leaned over his desk.

"I'm pretty sure about it," Elita replied with a sigh as she re-filled her large mug out of the coffee pot in Fowler's office, doctoring it with sugar and milk before she turned to face the others in the room.

The unit commander had his arms crossed over his chest as he stood beside the desk. Ratchet was sitting on the couch that rested in front of the window, enjoying the smell of Elita's coffee as she settled on the arm right beside him. Slash was leaning against the wall right next to the door, every once in a while eyeing it.

Agent Fowler sighed heavily as he sat back down in his chair, the thing squeaking in protest. This wasn't exactly the news about the unit he was expecting. Between the three of them, four if he counted Ratchet, they had accounted for five possible moles in their group. How could they have gotten past the screening that they did for every candidate before they were even considered to join? Sitting up a bit at his desk he jotted down a note to double check when the men were screened.

"Missions are on hiatus until we get this problem solved," the unit commander stated directly.

"I agree," Elita said. She was about ready to continue when Slash calmly held up one of his hands as a signal. "I'm thinking that for the big dinner this week we do bar-b-que, if we can get an allowance for the provisions."

Ratchet frowned a bit, knowing that they were being careful about their conversation while Slash had his hand raised, meaning that he had noticed that someone was near the door. As long as the signal was in place they talked about food, which annoyed the Autobot more over the fact that it was making him hungry more so than the fact that they had stopped the conversation. Just the thought of Elita cooking again was making his mouth water.

As the human medic slowly lowered his hand, Agent Fowler and the Commander walked closer to Elita and Ratchet, as they stood up, continuing their conversation quietly.

"They somehow figured out what you could do, E," Fowler said. "Unfortunately Ratchet's change and your ties to Adaptation are going to make them act again. All missions are on hold until we get to the bottom of this."

"That's only going to alert them that we're onto them," Elita countered, "Though I would assume that they already do."

"What do you suggest?"

Frowning, Elita thought it over as she took a drink from her mug. "It takes a while to plan a mission and that's when we actually have intel to go on. I hate to do it, but we still act as if things haven't changed. Lay out a bit of honey and trap the flies."

The unit commander chuckled a bit as he shook his head, "Always about food."

Elita turned to face him, pointing at the man with her mug. "Spike Witwicky, if you don't back off I have half a mind to bring your daddy into this."

Ratchet only raised an eyebrow at how amused the men seemed to be at the threat. They either didn't take her seriously or that the man's 'daddy' wasn't seen as much of a threat as well. Even the Autobot had to admit that the threat sounded extremely childish.

* * *

><p>The group of five stood chatting waiting as their sixth member carefully made his way around Agent Fowler's door. They were to check in with their commander tonight with new information before they could receive further orders. Right now M.E.C.H. was wishing to retrieve their missing project to see exactly how she was able to successfully achieve the fusion that they had only attempted with Silas. Then there was the transformer that she had put into flesh and bone. When the commander that took over after Silas disappeared heard about that he wanted more information. Unfortunately for them, they had no idea how she had gone about it.<p>

The leader of the group looked up at their scout as he came closer to them, shaking his head about the success of his mission. "All she managed to do was make me hungry," he told them.

Rubbing his chin, the group leader thought over everything. "We can't report in empty handed, so something has to happen."

"We'll have to force her hand," one of the group mumbled quietly.

"Can't attack in the open, that'd peg us for sure," another replied.

"But, gentlemen," the leader smiled as he caught sight of Commander Witwicki as he passed by to check on the equipment and inventory that some of the unit were working on, "accidents always happen."

* * *

><p>With the meeting dismissed, the group went their separate ways. Ratchet actually followed Elita, despite her attempt to leave him behind with the other medic, as she made her way around checking on her team as they worked in small groups around the hanger. A few were working on the vehicles, some checking weapons and the other equipment, and, as it seemed to be the normal for any group he had been a part of, there was a group that was just messing around. It irked Ratchet that Elita seemed alright with the group that wasn't a part of the upkeep, but it was good for moral that the team took turns to relax. The old medic just preferred to have his hands working on a project of some form to help him relax.<p>

As they walked past a group that was playing was called basketball, at least he thought that's what he remembered Miko and Jack teaching Bumblebee and Bulkhead back at the base, the ball had gotten out of hand and bounced towards them. He watched as Elita grabbed the ball with a laugh and asked the group, "Shirt's or skin's?"

"Skin's," one of the men in front of her answered; one that apparently was on the team that the ball belonged to since he was missing his shirt. "Sure you don't wanna join us?"

"Maybe next time," Elita smirked as she lightly tossed him the ball. "The kids will be here soon."

With a light farewell the pair left those who were playing to their game. Eventually their rounds got them back to the medical area, where John was mopping the floor. Careful to make sure they didn't give him more work, the two stood off to the side.

"How goes things?" he asked, only glancing up from his task.

"The usual controlled chaos for the days between," she replied with a sigh.

Slash's chuckling ended abruptly as they all turned at the sounds of crashing, grinding metal mingled with shouting voices. Elita was already moving out, Ratchet right behind her, when they heard someone call out for a medic. Ratchet went rushing towards the sound, instinct kicking in at the call. John let the mop crash to the floor as he grabbed his bag and ran after the pair.

Ratchet and Elita reached the group as the whole mass of men were working quickly to pull the metallic shelves off of the men that had been trapped under the pile of supplies and metallic frame when it fell. As the injured was pulled free, Ratchet soon realized that he had no idea where he could start in helping with the men. Elita noticed that he seemed stuck as he stared at the blood covered bodies and yelled for him to come help lift up the shelves. The Autobot saw that Slash was already tending to the men, so he quickly added his strength to the task of freeing the others.

With the whole unit helping, the task went efficiently and without question to any orders Elita was giving. Ratchet saw panic slowly rising in her form as each man was pulled free, the wounded being tended to under the human medic and his team. With a glance around he realized that she was taking into account every man there and who was not.

"Where's the commander?" one of the men shouted. Apparently Elita wasn't the only one taking in numbers.

Ratchet heard a groaning from the pile nearby and rushed towards the sound. Peeking through the twisted mass of metallic shelving structures, one of which looked like it had been cut clean through, he saw a body under the mess.

"There's someone over here!" he called out before he gripped the frame to lift it up, his feet slipping a bit from the puddle of blood that had accumulated on the floor. Elita and several others were at his side adding their strength to the task. When it was lifted enough Elita slipped under the mass.

"Stay with me, Spike," she said urgently as she took in the situation. One of the supports for the shelving unit had pierced through his chest from behind, the man wasn't conscious or breathing. She didn't have time to wait for someone to cut the post free so she grabbed a hold of it behind him near his back, her hand glowing brilliantly as she cut it.

They all saw the bright blue light flash from under the pile moments before Elita began to crawl out backwards, dragging the unit commander with her. When they were free from the pile the group let it drop. Slash was at her side as they rolled the commander onto his back, Elita still supporting him since they couldn't lay him flat. Blood still poured from the wound, but from the amount that surrounded them on the floor and drenched their clothing they knew that he was running out fast.

"He'll die before he even reaches the table," Slash mumbled, knowing that every single one of the unit was surrounding them, waiting on baited breath about their commander.

Elita took a deep breath as she closed her eyes, she couldn't lose him. Not after everything her father went through to make sure that this man grew up with his own. She also knew she didn't have a choice. Snapping her eyes open she looked up at Ratchet.

"Ratchet, Slash, pull it out."

"But," both medics started.

"Do it," she ordered, then glanced to the side, "You two, help hold him down."

A couple of the uninjured men that was nearby quickly rushed to her side, each helping support the commander. On her count the medics began to pull on the piece of metal. As it pulled free Elita had her hands on either side of the wound, again with them glowing brilliantly as she focused on her tasks.

It was painfully slow, but the object pulled free. The two that had been holding down their commander watching as tissue, muscle and bone mended under her glowing hands right before their eyes. When the skin had finished forming, Elita sent a little jolt of energy into his torso. Commander Witwicki gasped for air, his body twitching slightly from the shock, but soon relaxed back into his unconscious state.

"Get the wounded to the medical bay, now," Slash ordered urgently, the unit quickly rushing to do as he ordered. The two men that helped hold down their commander carried him to the medical bay, he might be physically alright, but he would still need blood. That was one thing that Ratchet always appreciated, when the group didn't question the medic when injuries were at stake.

Concern flooded the Autobot as he knelt down beside his friend. She still sat on the floor, covered with blood, and looked quite pale. Sitting next to her Ratchet gently pulled her into his arms, knowing that she would be exhausted from the task; her body was shaking from it. After the discussion that they just had in Fowler's office it was a dangerous thing to expose. He also knew that she respected the man as much as she did Optimus, and she was willing to do what it took to make sure that they survived.

Elita's body relaxed as she gave into the darkness that called her, finding a strange comfort in Ratchet's arms that she never knew she needed. It was a comfort that made her feel safe, a feeling she hadn't had since her father left.

[]

One of the men that had carried the commander sighed as he pulled off his bloodly clothing, having stepped into the shower with it to rinse off most of the mess before he washed up. He still couldn't believe his eyes, despite having watched the whole thing. She was amazing! Though that's exactly what Silas had thought of her as well.

Five other men stepped into the shower area, one of them had his arm in a cast. An acceptable casualty for the vast amount of knowledge they gleaned. They had aided with the clean up while he had offered to donate blood for their wounded commander, which kept him in the medical bay so he could observe on goings there. Most of the wounded were moved to the hospital on base for further observation.

"I've made our report and received our orders. We strike tonight," he told them quietly as he passed his wet clothing over the shower wall.

* * *

><p>Ratchet had held onto Elita as she sleep for almost half an hour, the group that had started to clean up doing their best to be as quiet as they could. More than one amused look was given to the medic from the group, though he couldn't understand why.<p>

When she did finally come to she was back on her feet and going, despite not only Ratchet's words of warning about doing too much too fast, but several of the other men had echoed the concern as well. They wouldn't let her help with the clean up, but they all urged her to check on the wounded in the medical bay as long as she promised not to harm herself again with such a spectacular light show.

Slash and the other medical officials were busy helping with the wounded, the head medic issuing orders almost as much as he worked his way around. Several army green ambulances were waiting to transport, one taking off as another pulled up. Privately Ratchet was glad he didn't choose that color scheme.

As soon as they walked in John had Elita resting on a bed, though she insisted that he not pull the separation curtain around so she could watch. She was concerned for her troops and couldn't stand the idea of just being closed off from them. Despite her many attempts to go around and aid the wounded, she was sent back to resting by not only the medical staff but the wounded as well. None of them objected when she took the seat beside Commander Witwicky's bed as he still slept.

Ratchet, on the other hand, put himself in the middle of everything. He didn't know how long he was going to be stuck as a human, so he decided he had better learn how to mend them. He was pleased that it was close to what he had already known how to do, what he didn't like was how messy it was.

With the last of the wounded riding in the back of an ambulance, the medical crew began the long clean up of the area. It went quickly with so many hands to help, but it was still a daunting task. During the clean up the medical crew took their turns using the shower system that was set up in an adjoining room. Ratchet and Slash were the last two to clean up, aside from Elita who had focused on the task of washing up the commander.

Ratchet had stopped as he watched her gently sponge away the blood that had stuck to his skin, using a soft care that he felt jealous about. Why was he jealous over her tender affection towards this man? Maybe he thought he was special enough to her that she only used her gift to save him, until he recalled that she had first discovered it when she saved Optimus' life. Someone nudging his arm brought him out of his thoughts, realizing it was Slash who had done so.

"Let's go get you washed up so you can get some sleep," the medic suggested quietly.

Just the thought of another fight with soap made Ratchet wince, but he was a mess and smelt terrible so he followed the other medic into the shower area. Managing to avoid getting soap in his eyes this time, Ratchet was rather relieved to be clean once the task was done. Having wrapped a towel around himself, he paused as he caught sight of Slash in the shower.

The man was utilizing a mirror that hung up on one of the posts, rubbing some sort of buzzing device over not only his jaw line and cheeks, which Ratchet learned himself that those were areas that male facial hair grew, but over his head as well.

"What in Primus' name are you doing?" the Autobot asked, honestly bewildered.

Slash looked at his companion through the reflection of the mirror, not really stopping his task. "Shaving."

"All of your hair?"

"Yep," the human replied as he lifted his chin up to get under it and his neck. "Especially in cases like today, it's easier to clean up and keep myself clean if I don't have a bunch of hair to deal with. It also makes things easier if I have to quickly prepare for surgery. I don't run the risk of unsanitary things getting caught in my hair if I'm having to slash open my patient."

"Slash open?" That honestly was an appalling thought to the Autobot, so why did this human find the idea funny enough to chuckle about. "Is that where you got your nickname?"

"Sort of." John shut off his battery operated razor and tucked it back in its holder before he gave himself another quick rinse before shutting off the water. "A general surgeon is sometimes called a 'Slasher' because there are times our patients look like they're out of horror movies. The name kinda stuck. Guys of the group say it gives a good intimidation factor."

Ratchet just shook his head, "I don't think I'll ever completely understand human humor."

John just smiled, "Don't feel bad. I don't understand a lot of it myself."

The pair stepped into the main area, finding Elita up and cleaning up the mess that she had made. Commander Witwicky was cleaned up and dressed in a patient garment, but resting under a blanket. Elita, on the other hand, still was covered with dried blood.

She had removed her over jacket and undershirt, leaving her in a black bodice like top that zipped up on the left hand side. It covered and supported her like a bra without shoulder straps, but it was low cut in the back to allow the nano-fibers in the shape of an Autobot symbol that covered her whole back to be unrestricted for when she was merged together with her larger form. Ratchet had seen her in it before, but for some reason he felt heat rushing to his cheeks.

Slash walked away, half laughing and half coughing as he shook his head. "You made sure to make him fully functional, didn't you?" he asked Elita as he walked past her to a set of cabinets.

"What?" she asked, looking up from the task she had been focused on in the sink. Turning to look from one medic to the other, Ratchet became even more confused as to why her face suddenly turned a dark red as she quickly focused back on her tasks. "It wasn't a conscious decision, no."

"Subconscious perhaps."

Elita groaned as she started to scrub the fabric harder in the sink.

Looking down, Ratchet started to grumble again. "Elita, would you please fix this? This is getting annoying."

John was laughing by this point, having pulled on a clean pair of pants before he walked back over. "You didn't explain _that_ to him, did you?"

"Explain what?" the Autobot demanded.

Elita shot the human medic a dark look, the intent behind it completely ruined by how dark her blush was. "I had assumed you explained things like _that_ to him, especially since it is dealing with the male anatomy."

"What does the body type have to do with explaining anything?" Ratchet tried to interrupt.

"Ah! Well, see your first problem was you assumed, and you know what that means," John mumbled as he walked around her as he tossed Ratchet a clean pair of pants. "Secondly, your orders were for explanations to be PG. That's at least a PG-13, which is your responsibility since you set up the restrictions."

"I agree, you should have explained it all back at the Autobot base," Ratchet tried to interrupt again, but at least she just ignored him still.

"Would you please help me out here?" Elita pleaded.

"No can do, boss lady. I've already had the 'talk' with my kids."

"What talk? What does talking have to do with any of this?" the Autobot sighed.

"You have experience! You know just what to say."

"You could always show him," Slash replied with a smirk.

Elita sighed as she rolled her eyes. "I forgot how big of a rump you could be, John."

"Now that's your own fault for forgetting something you've known since day one at boot camp."

With an aggravated groan, Elita just dropped her wet clothing back into the sink. "I need some coffee."

"That's a perfect way to start the romance," John called after her, which only got another growl in response. Chuckling he turned back to Ratchet, who finally put on the pants since he wasn't trying to get anything said between the two. "That's a normal reaction for your body, just ignore it and it'll usually go away on its own."

"What reaction? I swear human bodies are some of the strangest forms I have ever encountered."

Again John chuckled with a shake of his head. "It gets like that for the act of emotional bonding and reproduction."

Ratchet's jaw dropped. All he could do was watch as Slash checked on the commander before they shut the light outs out for the room, all the while trying to figure out how in the universe that had anything to do with species reproduction. No wonder Elita was avoiding the subject.

"She'll probably crash in there again tonight. Tomorrow we'll do something about getting her a room set up," the medic said quietly as they walked through the base, most of the troops getting things settled before most of them headed to their homes or rooms, depending on who was scheduled for overnight watch. "It's been a long day. Go ahead and crash early if you want. See you in the morning."

With a soft sigh, Ratchet headed towards the kitchens first to grab a bite to eat. He didn't see Elita there, the cooks telling him that she had already grabbed her drink and headed to the showers. A bowl of hearty beef stew was waiting for him, something left behind by Elita. With his stomach happily and warmly filled, Ratchet gave into the urge to head to bed.

After changing into some of the clothing that was placed in his foot locker Ratchet stretched out onto his bed, supporting his head with an arm behind it. He had a feeling the others would be coming in soon and he would do his best to stay wake until then.

* * *

><p>Elita sighed as she slipped on clean clothing; at least being in the military made her wardrobe simple. She'd go grab a bowl of stew that had been cooking all day and head back to the medical bay. She just hoped that Ratchet liked his. If not, she was sure she'd hear about it. He always let everyone know when even a little something bothered him. No doubt food was one of those things.<p>

She found the cafeteria dark as she walked in, frowning as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light. Hopefully the cooks had put her stew in the fridge. She was so hungry she'd eat it cold. She managed to make her way half way through the room without incident when she suddenly 'felt' someone behind her. A thick piece of plastic was thrown over her face and pulled tight, cutting off her air supply and blocking her attempt to scream for help. Her struggles were cut short when she felt an electrical prod being jabbed into her side, the current shocking her body offline.

* * *

><p>He didn't realize that he had dozed off until the sound of the door opening and shutting slowly brought him out of his restful state. Slowly a cold feeling crept over him, making him slowly open his eyes. Someone slammed their hand over his mouth, someone else grabbing his feet as he tried to kick his assailant away. A sharp pain in his neck was quickly followed by a burning sensation before Ratchet's body felt heavy. Despite struggling to do so, darkness overcame the Autobot.<p>

He was carried between two of the M.E.C.H. agents and thrown into the back of an ambulance, where Elita's bound form was already laying on the floor. They shut the doors, one hitting the back a couple of times to let the driver know that the load was secure. The driver slowly pulled away, heading out the front gate of the military base, driving away into the night.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I don't own the show.<strong>

Boy that was a lot to get in. Question is, to continue or not to continue? Let me know!


	5. Chapter 5 (new)

Commander Witwicky groaned as he woke up. He recalled the terrible pain in his chest from when the shelving unit crashed down on top of him, right after he started to go after the man who was using the heated metal sheers to cut one of the supports. Opening his eyes he took in the dark medical bay, frowning at the lack of people. Sitting up he found himself dressed in a medical gown, which he pulled down to look at the area he recalled the pain coming from. A soft white scar was the only reminder of the incident on his chest, which was slightly tender to the touch. He was surprised to find that he wasn't in any pain at all, making him wonder how long he had been out.

Pushing the covers away the commander got onto his feet. The sink still had wet clothing in it where someone was washing them. He picked up one of the jackets, finding his name patch right above a bloody, jagged hole was torn through the fabric. Holding it up higher he turned it around to find a matching one on the back. His mind began to recall the warmth that swept through him, her voice calling him back from the cold. Dropping the jacket suddenly back in the sink, he couldn't shake the terrible feeling that settled in the pit of his stomach. He knew, somehow, that she did that crazy thing she could and healed him. Swiftly walking out of the room, he began to look for Elita.

The base was quiet, the others either settled in or had headed home for the night. One of the soldiers under his command, the one scheduled for the night watch, spotted him almost as soon as he stepped out of the medical bay.

"Sir, are you sure you're feeling well enough to be up and around?"

The commander held a hand up over the front of his chest where the wound had been, measuring his words carefully. This was one of the men that they suspected was a M.E.C.H. mole. "I've felt better, that's for sure. Where are the others?"

"Settled in for the night, Sir."

Nodding a couple of times, the commander expected that answer. Now for a more telling one. "Where's Elita-One? She should have a report done by now about the accident."

"I think she just headed out with that friend of hers. Sure they'll be back soon."

The man glanced around, having trouble making eye contact, though Witwicky acted like he too was searching for the woman. He knew that the soldier was lying to him, but he didn't call him out on it yet. Feigning weakness, he asked the younger man for a bit of help getting back to the medical bay. The soldier was eager to assist, looping his commander's left arm over his shoulders to help carry some of his weight.

Once in the dark of the room, Commander Witwicky heard the soft snap of the soldier's pistol holster being undone and the soft sound of the metal sliding against the leather. He was prepared though when the gun was turned towards him, grabbing the man by the wrist and twisting the weapon out of his hand. With his other arm now firmly around the soldier's neck, he pressed the gun against the side of his head to let him know that it was there.

"Start talking," he ordered.

* * *

><p>Elita groaned as the weight on top of her shifted around and forced her eyes open to see what was causing her so much pain. Seeing Ratchet's face in the dim light her eyes cast she sighed, closing her eyes as she rested her head on the ground. He was unconscious and unknowingly pressing against the burning pain in her side. She would have called out to him, but found that her mouth was covered. The sting of it pulling against her skin when she tried to open her jaw told her that it was taped shut.<p>

Stifling another groan Elita tried to pull her arms from behind herself only to realize that they were tethered together behind her back. It didn't cut into her wrists like rope and it covered her hands completely. She felt fabric brushing along her fingers when she moved them the minute amount the bindings allotted her, so something was securing the fabric over her hands. The room or box, since it was so confined, they were trapped in rocked again, making the sharp pain in her side shoot through her body. If her hunch was correct then they were in serious trouble.

Reopening her eyes Elita took in the situation. The darkness was randomly pierced by a light from above her head, a light that slowly got brighter before it would move off to the side before it would vanish. They were in a vehicle, which was a blessing and a curse. A couple more passes of light, presumably from oncoming traffic, told her that they were in the back of one of the base's ambulances.

_Tricky sons of guns, aren't cha?_ _ Using the chaos and extra vehicles from the accident, though you probably caused it, too. _She thought with a frown that pulled on the tape. Whomever had planed it knew that she'd save lives if she had to, and she willingly exposed her gift in the process. She was just praying that Spike wasn't caught up in this mess with them right now. She knew he wasn't thrown into the floor with them, but until she could see the gurney she couldn't be sure he wasn't there.

* * *

><p>The lights in the medical bay snapped on, blinding both of the men that were in there. The M.E.C.H. soldier took advantage of the distraction to elbow Commander Witwicky in the gut so that he could make a run for it as his partner opened fire. Spike managed to doge a couple of the bullets as he dove for the other side of a bed, but felt the sting of one go through his left shoulder.<p>

After he had made it to cover he heard both men rushing out of the room. He was quick to give chase, gun still in hand. The sounds of a scuffle outside the room greeted him as he reached the door. Both M.E.C.H. agents were on the floor, groaning in pain. Standing over them was Slash, holding a piece of shelving support struts in hand as if he was waiting to swing it again at the next person that came out the door. Both men slowly relaxed, Spike lowering his gun as John lowered his weapon, their hearts racing in their chests even as the soldiers that were stationed for that night at the base were rushing to their aid, the firefight alerting them into action.

"Geez-wiz, John, we needed them alive."

"Me? I'm not the one chasing them with a gun," the medic retorted. Seeing the freely bleeding wound he just shook his head as he rested the support strut on his shoulder. "And she just fixed you up, too. Back in there. I already called the MPs."

As if just to confirm the medic's words, the military police on shift that night pulled into the building, quickly getting out of their cars. Some were rushing into the sleeping quarters, others heading straight for the pair of them.

"These two and the three others that I told you about," John told the MPs that came up.

The two men on the floor were quickly cuffed as they began to awaken to the terrible pain that was bouncing around in their skulls, two MPs escorting each man to the back of the truck.

Commander Witwicky was still passing out orders even as Slash was pushing on his good shoulder to guide the man back into the medical bay. Upon seeing the condition his room was in the medic just shook his head. "Still throwing the wild parties, Spike?"

"Can't take credit for it all by myself, old friend," the commander replied as he sat back down on the bed he just got up from. "I'm just glad you showed up when you did."

Slash passed his commander the piece of metal he was carrying. "The accident was bugging me so I checked out the wreckage. The guys had found this."

He expected it to hurt as his friend examined and began to treat the gunshot wound on his shoulder, but he sat as still as he could as he examined the cut metal. He had explained to the medic about catching the young man in the act of cutting it and was actually moving to stop him before someone got hurt.

Witwicky's soldiers came in and out of the room, receiving orders and relaying reports. The MPs only found four of the men that they were looking for, having already taken them into custody, and a complete search of the base had turned up that Elita-One and Ratchet were both missing.

Pulling out his cell phone, Spike dialed one of the rarely used numbers he had saved. It only took a moment for the other side to answer. "Optimus, we have a situation."

* * *

><p>She couldn't risk using her gifts to remove her bindings; the light would be a giveaway in the darkness. Any attempt at escape would be quickly brought to a halt. Focusing back on Ratchet she realized that she'd need his help getting free. Unfortunately for her she couldn't nudge him enough to wake him.<p>

Relaxing her head back on the floor of the ambulance Elita started to work on the tape over her mouth. Adhesives didn't like moisture so she started to push saliva over her lips with her tongue. Drooling was very unladylike and the taste was terrible, but she was slowly able to open her mouth. Using her teeth and tongue she slowly pulled the tape free from her cheeks, quietly spitting the ball onto the ground.

"Ratchet," she whispered, nudging his cheek with her nose. "Ratchet wake up."

Her only reply was a groan, which unintentionally frustrated her. They had done something that knocked him out for longer. Glancing back up at the window that opened up to the cab of the ambulance, Elita racked her brain about what to do. Focusing on Ratchet again Elita realized that she needed to run a diagnostic on his body to see if she could counter act whatever it was. It was risky, but she didn't have a choice. She didn't even know if this was going to work or not.

She nuzzled his neck again, managing to wiggle her nose over the vein so that she could get as clear of a reading on him as possible. The bridge of her nose started to glow a dark orange where it made contact with his skin, slowly giving her an update about the condition his body was in.

His Synth-En levels were lower than she had been expecting, but there was nothing she could do about it at the moment. The majority of his body was healthy, a few bruises where he had been held down but it was nothing that wouldn't heal in a couple of days. It was as she adjusted her nose along his neck that she felt the small, warm lump. Focusing on that area Elita felt the chemical that they had used to keep Ratchet under control. Slowly she began to counteract the chemical, not wanting to make too much light and give away what she was doing.

She didn't know how long she had been focused, but he slowly began to stir. Unfortunately the driver had taken a sharp turn that shifted the both of them around in the back. Elita couldn't make the same contact with Ratchet to continue her work, but his weight on her shifted enough so that she could move. Slowly she pushed with her feet to scoot towards the cab of the truck, slowly sliding away from Ratchet. She thought she was doing well when the driver hit another set of bumps that jostled them.

Ratchet smiled in his sleep as one of his arms pulled her closer to himself while he snuggled in, "Nice, soft pillow. So warm."

Elita wanted to cry in pain and scream in frustration. All she had managed to do was scoot up enough for Ratchet to snuggle her bosom. Especially after the pointed conversation in the medical bay earlier in the night she could hear Slash laughing it up at her expense. Venting her frustration over the whole situation as she tried to jostle her body enough to wake him, Elita did her best to ignore the pain. All she wanted to do was grab a hold of something, anything non-living at least, and just squeeze her anger out until it burst.

"Ratchet," she whispered harshly. "Wake up. You're squishing my boob."

The medic jerked awake when the sound of something exploding right beside them sounded, the ambulance swerving a bit on the road as the driver attempted to keep control of the vehicle while he got it to the side of the road. Once they were stopped they heard the man rummaging around the front before opening the door, most likely to exit, and shutting it. They saw the sweep of a light pass over the windows as the man walked around the vehicle.

"What happened?" Ratchet asked, taking note of their situation.

"Sounded like we blew a tire," she whispered.

Ratchet winced reflectively, knowing that it was a painful feeling to have to endure. But that wasn't exactly what he was asking about. He started to speak again, only to have her shush him. He took a deep breath, about ready to give her a piece of his processor, when they heard the man outside starting to open the back doors.

"Quick, close your eyes and go limp," she ordered.

Ratchet didn't have time to argue, but did as he was told, finding his head resting on something very warm and soft as the doors opened. Elita had too dropped her head and relaxed herself the best she could before the flashlight swept over them. The driver had apparently called someone, only speaking a few words about needing the package picked up and his location before the call ended and he shut the doors again.

"What's going on, Elita?" Ratchet quickly lifted his head again, looking down at the woman under him, especially after she harshly shushed him again.

"We're being punked and they're taking us on a lovely honeymoon," Elita smiled, then her pleasant look turned viciously dark, her eyes starting to glow a bit purple. "M.E.C.H. grabbed us, duh!"

"Don't use that tone with me, young lady," he snapped back in a similarly harsh whisper.

"Why not? You're the one that's been squishing my boob as if you were a scared child snuggling its favorite plushie."

"I have not."

"Have, too."

"Have not. I don't even know what a boob is!"

Elita rolled her eyes and made herself calm down, Ratchet noticing that her eyes faded back to the proper shade of blue. "It doesn't matter. Right now I need you to get my hands free so we can get out of here before the others show up."

Ratchet got himself pushed up enough so that Elita could scoot out from under him and get turned around so that he could look at her hands. He tugged at the non-reflective silver strips that were wrapped tightly around whatever was between it and her hands and wrists, but it would not give.

"It's some sort of adhesive strip," the Autobot informed her.

"Probably the same tape they used to cover my mouth," she replied. "It feels like my pocketknife is still in my back right pocket. Get it out and cut me free."

She did her best to ignore his hand digging around in her back pocket and did her best to sit still as he began to run the blade over the tape. Ratchet was leaning close to her as he cut her free, frowning at the burnt smell that was coming from her side. A couple of glowing pink lines appeared on her skin as the knife slipped from the driver outside had leaned harshly against the side, making the ambulance rock.

"Sorry," he whispered, knowing that it was hurting her.

"They'll heal, just try not to cut too deep though," she whispered back.

They both paused to listen as the driver walked around towards the back of the ambulance again and began to open the doors.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I don't own the show. Thanks for reading.<strong>


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